How do I display a user friendly error when Spring is unable to validate a model's java.util.Date field?

Question

I'm using Spring 3.1.2.RELEASE. I want to display an error message on my JSP if my date field isn't formatted properly. I thought I'd followed all the right steps. I binder a converter in my controller …

@InitBinder
public void initBinder(final WebDataBinder binder) {
    final DateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(Contract.DATE_FORMAT);
    dateFormat.setLenient(false);

    // true passed to CustomDateEditor constructor means convert empty String to null
    binder.registerCustomEditor(Date.class, new CustomDateEditor(dateFormat, true));
...
}

I have included these error messages in my messages.properties file (included in the Spring application context)

typeMismatch.activationDate=The activation date format should be of the form MM/dd/yyyy
typeMismatch.sampleUserForm.activationDate=The activation date format should be of the form MM/dd/yyyy

Here's the model I'm using:

public class SampleUserForm
{

    private String userId;
    private String firstName;
    private String middleName;
    private String lastName;
    private String username;
    private String url;
    private String password;
    private String confirmPassword;
    private State state;
    private java.util.Date activationDate;
    private java.util.Date expirationDate;
    private List<Product> products;
    private Set<Role> roles = new HashSet<Role>();

And here is the error message I receive when I submit my form with a poorly-formatted date …

org.springframework.validation.BindException: org.springframework.validation.BeanPropertyBindingResult: 1 errors
Field error in object 'sampleUserForm' on field 'activationDate': rejected value [1900]; codes [typeMismatch.sampleUserForm.activationDate,typeMismatch.activationDate,typeMismatch.java.util.Date,typeMismatch]; arguments [org.springframework.context.support.DefaultMessageSourceResolvable: codes [sampleUserForm.activationDate,activationDate]; arguments []; default message [activationDate]]; default message [Failed to convert property value of type 'java.lang.String' to required type 'java.util.Date' for property 'activationDate'; nested exception is java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Could not parse date: Unparseable date: "1900"]
    org.springframework.web.method.annotation.ModelAttributeMethodProcessor.resolveArgument(ModelAttributeMethodProcessor.java:111)
org.springframework.web.method.support.HandlerMethodArgumentResolverComposite.resolveArgument(HandlerMethodArgumentResolverComposite.java:75)
    org.springframework.web.method.support.InvocableHandlerMethod.getMethodArgumentValues(InvocableHandlerMethod.java:156)
    org.springframework.web.method.support.InvocableHandlerMethod.invokeForRequest(InvocableHandlerMethod.java:117)
org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ServletInvocableHandlerMethod.invokeAndHandle(ServletInvocableHandlerMethod.java:96)
org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.invokeHandlerMethod(RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.java:617)
    org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.handleInternal(RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.java:578)
    org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.AbstractHandlerMethodAdapter.handle(AbstractHandlerMethodAdapter.java:80)
    org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:923)
    org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:852)
    org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:882)
    org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doPost(FrameworkServlet.java:789)
    javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:754)
    javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:847)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:330)
    org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.invoke(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:118)
    org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.doFilter(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:84)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    org.springframework.security.web.access.ExceptionTranslationFilter.doFilter(ExceptionTranslationFilter.java:113)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    org.springframework.security.web.session.SessionManagementFilter.doFilter(SessionManagementFilter.java:103)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.java:113)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
org.springframework.security.web.servletapi.SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.java:54)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    org.springframework.security.web.savedrequest.RequestCacheAwareFilter.doFilter(RequestCacheAwareFilter.java:45)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.doFilter(AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.java:183)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    org.springframework.security.web.authentication.logout.LogoutFilter.doFilter(LogoutFilter.java:105)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    org.springframework.security.web.context.SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.java:87)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy.doFilterInternal(FilterChainProxy.java:192)
    org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:160)
    org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy.invokeDelegate(DelegatingFilterProxy.java:346)
    org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy.doFilter(DelegatingFilterProxy.java:259)

What else do I need to do/check to trap for a badly-formatted date? I would prefer to display a friendly error message to the user rather than the page gracelessly dying.

Here is the controller method that is supposed to handle the form. Notice I have already included a BindingResult.

@RequestMapping(value = "/save", method = RequestMethod.POST)
public ModelAndView save(final HttpServletRequest request,
                         final SampleUserForm sampleUserForm,
                         final Model model,
                         final BindingResult result) 
{
    String nextPage = "sampleusers/add";
    m_sampleUserFormValidator.validate(sampleUserForm, result);
    if (!result.hasErrors())
    {
       ... process the model and determine the next page ...
    }   // if 

    return new ModelAndView(nextPage);
}

Answer 1

I assume you should be binding the form into one of your POST methods using @ModelAttribute. In the same method bind a BindingResult bindingResult and all the binding errors should be captured into this bindingResult object. Inside the method, you should be able to check for

if (bindingResult.hasErrors()) {

and take appropriate action.